Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) lives in contemporary Cornwall but has a fascination with 1960s London. When she secures a place at a London college to study fashion design she gets her chance to move there. Unable to stand her dreadful roommate and her friends, Ellie rents a room in a house in Soho. On her first night, she goes to bed and finds herself in the same area but in 1966. She sees a glamorous aspiring singer Sandie (Anna Taylor-Joy) and follows her or maybe becomes her. Sandie meets a man (Matt Smith) who offers to manage her career. Ellie is caught up in the story and can’t wait for the next night, but Sandie’s story becomes darker and darker. Is Ellie dreaming? Or does she have some sort of ability to see past events?
Director Edgar Wright clearly has a love for the setting, and the period, but he is as willing to show the seedier side as well as the bright lights of the swinging scene. Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung captures London of both periods beautifully. References are made to classic films of the time and setting and there are roles for iconic stars Terence Stamp – who exudes menace – as well as Diana Rigg and Margaret Nolan in their final roles. Thomasin McKenzie is superb, capturing Ellie’s innocence, mental fragility inner steel so well.
Songs, though not the obvious choices, of the period help propel the action making Last Night in Soho a treat for both the ears and eyes. This is one of those films that will definitely reward additional watches, though the ending does not quite live up to what came before.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10